Here's an interesting article on modern slavery and its prevalence around the world. Apparently there are now more slaves on the planet than at any time in history (though I have no idea if that is adjusted for population size/growth).
Last week was a busy week for me, but I should be back to posting regularly this week.
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I haven't read the whole article yet, but if you can buy a slave for less than $100, does it make sense for benevolent entities to buy slaves to "release" them?
ReplyDeleteI think the problem is that buying a slave for benevolent reasons creates an artificial demand (artificial in that benevolent demand for slaves is considered different from selfish demand for slaves) for slaves, thereby creating a greater incentive for slave merchants to find and sell more people. I suppose the argument should center on whether the increased demand that frees potential slaves causes an increase in the supply of slaves that outweighs the benefits. At that point we just don't have the numbers for a legitimate answer, so I imagine that if someone felt that spending money to free slaves was worthwhile to them then it would be morally justifiable; one cannot assume that the increase in supply would outstrip the flow of potential slaves out of the market. Then there is always the question of people being recaptured and sent back into slavery. Yay for rants!
ReplyDeleteYeah. Well, we know that we'll have an increased quantity supplied as a result of the increase in demand (an upward shift in the demand curve means we're moving rightward along the supply curve). But there's also a proportion of the supply now being freed.
ReplyDeleteSo it all depends on the elasticity of supply. It's theoretically possible to have the net number of actual slaves remain the same (and that doesn't even consider the other "costs" that would increase), but it's also possible that a very high proportion of the benevolent purchases result in a net decrease in slaves.
But basically, you're right. It's like trying to win the drug wars by having the government buy up all the drugs.
Thanks, guys. You seem to have already puzzled out the question I was trying to figure out how to formulate.
ReplyDeleteBut also, I liked that there was a mention in the article of the disproportionate focus on sex trade. Calling prostitutes slaves, and vice versa, is offensive on a lot of levels.
All prostitutes, that is. Obviously some ARE slaves.
ReplyDelete